The Sicatoka

How about a simple sign that says: What the 'ELIS' that? That word is pronounced "ee-lees." If you don't understand, check out both nicknames they run under here. Say it out loud a couple times fast and it'll make a lot more sense.

Let's see .... a metro area of 3 million, a campus of almost 40,000, has no-shows in a 10,000 seat rink and that is more acceptable than a campus of 13,000 in a metro of 75,000 (?) that has the same number of no-shows in a 11,406 seat rink? Unless the T-Wolves, Vikes, Twins, and Wild have each put in 500,000 seat arenas that math just doesn't add up.

Hey! I thought BC players were angels.

Idaho is in a very tough spot considering the new DIA football minimum average attendance per home game requirements coming on line. The following is the list of DIAs that do not make (or made by less than 500 people per game) the new average per game minimum for DIA football (based on 2002 average home game attendance): North Texas Louisiana-Lafayette Houston Wyoming Troy State Arkansas State Ball State Akron Buffalo Middle Tennessee State Idaho Eastern Michigan San Jose State Kent State Louisiana-Monroe Schools that don't meet the minimum DIA home attendance will be pushed back down to DIAA by the NCAA under the new rules. See any names in that list the Big Sky would find interesting before looking outside of their current geography?

MNS: They were all 'swags' from a guy who's done some traveling. Going major airport to major airport (Denver to Newark) with a couple months advanced booking was part of the assumption/guess. The more I ponder it, however, the more I think the ground transport and hotel numbers (east coast costs) are low. And yes, to go out of anywhere but Denver (meaning having to fly into a hub like MSP, Denver, or Chicago O'Hare) would add a minimum of $100 per ticket. Run numbers like that and look at real profits then look at playing a home game before even a smallish home crowd at the larger NCC schools. The net revenues comes out at about the same. The bigger difference is that you keep the home fan base engaged. Nine home games in a 27 game schedule doesn't engage your base.

What amazes me on this front is that true classical liberals should be lining up next to UND's right to the moniker. This is a classic case of "I don't have to like what you say but I have to defend your right to say it." There are lots of things out there I don't like but my personal feelings do not give me the right to shut down someone else's free speech. I'm sure no one is surprised by the NCA evaluation out today: UND is a great school. Reaccredited for (max allowed) 10 years! But, of course, they had to mention the moniker because the small factions in question brought it to them. Of course, the NCA did the same at the University of Illinois (regarding the Illini moniker and the Chief Illiniwek mascot). UI's position was (paraphrased): thanks for the comments but even you admit this is not an accreditation based issue. elmduf: The ACLU and the NRA? I bet you have to sit in the back corner in both meetings. Are you sure you're not more Libertarian-bent than liberal per se?

They say about $10k in expenses? Meals: $45 per day, two days Hotel: $50 per night*, one night Airfare: $300 (Denver to Newark) Ground Transport: $30 per day, two days That works out to be $500 per person for a two-day trip to New Jersey. Assuming 20 travelers is about normal for basketball, there's $10k. Personally, I'd guess my hotel and ground transportation numbers are low. * Assumes two persons per room for a $100 room. What you get for $100 a night in New Jersey is a whole other thread.

Just as NDSU et al, the "haves" if you will, are frustrated with smaller, relatively underfunded schools flooding "their house" (division), apparently, so are the "haves" of the Division I ranks. http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/sports/5989715.htm This quote (from a Charlotte Observer article) should serve as a wake-up call to the rest of the NCAA: They choose to hang around. I guess that means they could choose something else too. That's the thoughts at Duke, and assumably by association, the ACC.

To respond to Northern Colorado showing up on the Rutgers schedule, let's look back at Forum columnist Mike McFeely's recent words:

Consolidated answers: $1.8 MM of the $5.8 MM was for hockey. Based on an NCAA report I read, in 2001, UND spent between $472k and $645k on football. The Fighting Sioux Club is the fundraising arm of UND Athletics, similar to NDSU TeamMakers.

That would be $27.55 All this unsavory talk of money, pricing, and finances: Fellows, be serious now. You talk as if collegiate athletics need be concerned about those things. That would only be true if collegiate athletics were to be run as a business, having to worry about such unsavory things as "red ink" or fiscal self-responsibilty for their annual resources. Our esteemed NDSU collegue and poster in this thread assured us that my thinking of such matters, collegiate athletics as a business that must pay its own way, was foolishness.

So which 21 womens scholarships are to be added in the first year? As NDSU's Carr Report stated, scholarships need to be added one-for-one to remain Title IX compliant. Who's buyin' those 42 scholarships by the way?

Oh yes, yes, yes. And, similarly to theirs, my fecal matter produces no negative olfactory sensations.

First, four years to that is optimistic. It took Troy State closer to 10 after their transition. Second, let's call it what most coaches call it: A body bag game.

Sports Illustrate, March 4, 2002, Page 69, inside the inset box: The inset also noted the margin of error was plus or minus 4%. Now, knowing the source, a noted and reputable firm, and methodology: Brian Ojanpa, Mankato Free Press Staff Writer, put it best: In her response, Ms. Ketterling split the difference and did both.

Now a great deal can change between now and the end of the regular season, but based on this week's regional rankings, this is the season NDSU should have had Winona on their schedule (not last). Then again, Winona's only loss is to Concorda - St. Paul. (CSP's loss is to the USD Coyotes. Talk about spaghetti.) I guess the old rule of thumb comes into play again: Just win. The rest of the stuff will take care of itself.

The NCAA's Midwest Regional Rankings matter. That's how post-season is seeded. A poll by D2Football.com? See above.

I normally reserve this for Division I hockey talk, but it fits: The only poll that matters is the pole you raise a championship banner on.

Last week is over. You play them one by one. Mankato is 0 and 7 so you might want to over look them. Don't. They beat us last year. It's time to return the favor.

"textbook defense"? With less than 80 rushing yards allowed, sure; but NDSU passed for more yards than UND. That doesn't qualify. "give up no plays over 30 yards"? How about four! 31 to Steffes, 31 to Burrell, 39 to Burrell, 36 to Johnson. That doesn't qualify. "at least +2 in turnovers"? Only +1. "no more than four "three and out" drives for the game"? Well, I got one right. UND went three and punt three times on the day. My next prognostication is that from now on I'll let UND92,96 or jimdahl prognosticate.

Trying to answer the question objectively, I'd have to say that either (a) your posit that Krause is better than Lueck is wrong, or (b) that UNO utilizes Krause differently than UND utilizes Lueck and that difference was the difference. Either way, Lueck played at DIAA Murray State before returning home to East Grand Forks and playing at UND. The better question for the situation is this: Is that the best Babich can play against a DIAA caliber receiver?

Starting production (including not having the funds to cover start-up costs) on a new product line, that not all your consumers are sure they want, and some think they don't need, is a better business model?

I believe NDSU should have raised ticket prices before starting the transition. That way the "raised prices" issues would have subsided before any issues associated with the move and transition came up. It would have avoided "compounding" of the two issues. It also would have helped them to build a balance for possible coming lean years as some programs may struggle. Now, as jimdahl points to, NDSU will have to raise prices during the transition which may make the fraction of fans that disagree with the move even more unhappy (compounding). But hey, I don't run NDSU. Let them do what they will. Meanwhile, UND is testing the waters, dare I say doing a market assessment, of what fans will pay to see various UND events. Plus they are setting precidents for prices. It allows UND, over the coming five to ten years, to say "but we haven't raised our prices" during that timeframe.

tony: What do you interpret "But it also might tip the balance ..." to mean in the context that Roger Thomas stated it?